The Yankees’ propensity to trade young pitchers

The Yankees might have been the winningest franchise in the 1980s, yet they finished the decade with nothing to show for it. They made the postseason in the decade’s first year, but got swept out of the ALCS by the Royals. Then, in the strike-interrupted 1981 season, they managed to make the World Series, though they probably didn’t deserve to even participate in the postseason. From there it was all downhill. Sure, they mixed in a few second place finishes in the middle of the decade, but that was as close as they got.

What hurts most about the Yankees’ poor performances during these years is that they were in many ways the results of a win-now mentality. George Steinbrenner stopped at nothing to field the best team possible in the moment, even if that meant sacrificing players who could help future teams. There was no balance. Predictably, the Yankees went from being a decent team in the early- and mid-80s to a putrid one by the end. It wasn’t until Steinbrenner was away from the everyday team operations that they were able to create a better balance and rebuild a culture of winning.

One of the team’s hallmarks in the 80s was trading young pitchers for veterans. The idea is nothing new; we see it all the time these days. We just don’t see the same team do it over and over and over again. Prospects are valued much differently these days, perhaps because of the Yankees’ mishaps in the 80s (and, to a lesser extent, mid-00s). As we come to the conclusion of retro week here at RAB, I wanted to run down some of the more egregious pitching trades in the 80s.

Note: I’m doing this based mostly on research, seeing as I was born in 1982. My first major Yankees memories came sometime around 1987, though I clearly wasn’t familiar with the team’s culture at the time — despite my father’s constant cursing of Steinbrenner and his meddling. (Those criticisms fell on deaf ears to a kid who just wanted to collect baseball cards and read the box scores.) I might miss what someone else considers a significant trade. But that’s what the comments section is for. So have at it.

March 30, 1982: Traded Andy McGaffigan for Doyle Alexander

We kick this off with a name I’m sure isn’t familiar to many readers. McGaffigan was no superstar, but he pitched 11 seasons in the bigs and turned in fairly good performances. He ended his career with a 3.38 ERA in 833.1 innings, which covered 363 games: 62 starts and 301 relief appearances. For the Yankees he pitched two games in relief in 1981 before they traded him for Alexander just before the 1982 season.

McGaffigan was thrice drafted: first by the Reds in 1974, then by the White Sox in 1976 (in what was called the January Draft-Regular Phase, whatever that was), and finally by the Yankees in 1978. McGaffigan conquered A-ball in 66 innings after signing, and then played in AA for both the 79 and 80 season — though they were different teams, because apparently the Yankees had two AA teams. He then spent most of 1981 in AAA, pitching well there before his eventual call-up.

Alexander, unsurprisingly, had already passed age 30 when he went to New York. Well, in this trade at least. In June of 1976 the Yankees acquired Alexander from the Orioles, only to let him walk as a free agent after the season. Following his stellar 1981 season, in which he pitched to a 2.89 ERA (119 ERA+) in 152 innings, he completely imploded for the Yanks in ’82, reaching a 6.08 ERA in just 66.2 innings. After a similar performance in his first 28.1 innings in 1983, the Yanks cut him. Of course, he went on to pitch much better after that, and ended up playing through 1987.

April 10, 1982: Traded Ron Davis for Roy Smalley

Another seemingly smaller trade, but still involving a young pitcher. Davis came up through the Yankees system, and from 1979 through 1981 he was money, compiling a 2.86 ERA (136 ERA+) in 140 games. He finished 72 games during that span as well. Maybe the Yanks knew something here, because immediately after they traded him to Minnesota, his career imploded. He had a couple decent years, but was mostly terrible and had a hard time finding a job after age 30. (The Yanks traded him at age 25.)

Smalley, on the other hand, hit very well for the Yankees, compiling a 111 OPS+ in 82 and then a 126 OPS+ in 520 PA in 1983. After he started slowly in 1984, the Yankees sent him to the White Sox for players to be named later. One of those players to be named later was a young pitcher by the name of Doug Drabek. We’ll get to him in due time.

Mike covered the Henderson trade earlier today, so there’s no need for a full rehash. I just wanted to dwell on Rijo for just a moment. There was really no good reason for him to break camp with the team in 1984. He was just 19, and while he mopped the floor with AA competition in ’83, he had very little professional experience. Of his 302 professional innings to that point, just 40.1 had come above A-ball. But the Mets had a shiny new 19-year-old toy in Dwight Gooden, and so Steinbrenner needed his. Rijo was mediocre in both the Bronx and Columbus in ’84, but he picked up some steam in ’85. It was a shame to see him go, and an even bigger shame when he finally won a World Series with the 1990 Cincinnati Reds. That would coincide with the worst Yankees team of my lifetime.

Plunk counts as a young pitcher, too. While he didn’t come with Rijo’s hype, he did perform well for a few years. He was decently effective, if way too wild, pitching out of the Yanks’ pen and making spot starts from ’89 through’ 91, and then found success pitching out of Cleveland’s pen in the mid-90s.

September 15, 1985: Traded Jim Deshaies for Joe Niekro

Again, Deshaies wasn’t the biggest name. But he was only 25 and had just seven innings of big league experience under his belt when the Yanks traded him for the 40-year-old Niekro. As a 41-year-old in ’86, Niekro was pretty horrible, posting a 4.87 ERA (84 ERA+) in 125.2 innings. The Yanks got eight good starts out of him in ’87 before dishing him to Minnesota, where he collapsed. His career would end a year later.

Deshaies produced a 3.67 ERA (97 ERA+) in 1102 innings for the Astros before reaching free agency. Considering some of the pitchers who took the ball for the Yankees during those years, 1985 through 1991, they could have used his services.

November 26, 1986: Traded Doug Drabek for Rick Rhoden

Just two years earlier the Yankees had received Drabek in return for a fading hitter. He came in and trashed AA competition immediately, pitching to a 2.32 ERA in ’84 and then a 2.99 ERA in ’85. While AAA was less kind to him in ’86, he threw just 42 innings there. Most of his work came in the majors, a 4.10 ERA (100 ERA+) in 131.2 innings. That’s a quality performance there for a 23-year-old rookie. But Steinbrenner was not about to change his impatient ways. The Yankees won 90 games in ’86, but finished 5.5 behind the Red Sox. And so they traded Drabek for Proven Veteran™ Rick Rhoden. It wasn’t all bad at first, as Rhoden pitched well enough in ’87, compiling a 3.86 ERA (115 ERA+) in 181.2 innings. But at age 34 he was on the downswing. He lasted just two more seasons, a below average one for the Yankees before finishing his career in Houston.

Drabek, on the other hand, had a nearly identical ERA in 87 (lower ERA+, because of the difference in leagues), but went on to post much better numbers in the coming years. Before he reached free agency after the 92 season, Drabek threw 1362.2 innings, compiling a 3.02 ERA (118 ERA+). He’s yet another guy who would have helped incredibly during those dark years in the late-80s and early-90s.

July 13, 1987: Traded Bob Tewksbury for Steve Trout

At 26 years old Tewks wasn’t that young when this trade happened. But he was still young and serviceable: he had pitched to a 3.31 ERA (124 ERA+) in 130 innings in ’86. But a slow start was apparently his undoing. Again the Yankees went for the Proven Veteran™ in Trout. To say it backfired is an understatement. Trout wasn’t all that good to begin with, though he did have a pair of good years in ’84 and ’85. He lasted just 46.1 innings with the Yankees, pitching to a 6.60 ERA (68 ERA+). The Yanks did get a couple of real, live pitchers in exchange for him. You might recognize some of the names: Lee Guetterman, Clay Parker, and Wade Taylor.

After spending time on the DL and in the minors in the last few years of the 80s, Tewks figured out something. He dominated AAA in ’89, and then tossed some solid years for St. Louis in the early-90s. That, however, came after he hit free agency. Still, the numbers speak for themselves: 968 innings, 3.48 ERA (109 ERA+) from ’89 through ’94 with the Cards. That includes a third-place finish in the Cy Young voting in 1992; some guys named Maddux and Glavine finished ahead of him.

In early 1992 the Yanks had an issue. They had just traded for a third baseman, but had no room for him on the 40-man roster. They delayed announcing the move until late February. You can read more about this in The Ballad of Charlie Hayes. The Yanks ended up trading Mills to the Orioles to create room for Hayes.

It’s not as though the Yanks lost some huge contributor in Mills. He hadn’t been very good for the Yanks, and while he had a few good seasons for the Orioles, he was by no means a standout — though his 2.61 ERA (153 ERA+) in 92, just after the trade, definitely stung. But Mills was twice a first-round draft pick. The Yankees acquired him for the cheap price of a fading and discontent Butch Wynegar. Yet at age 25 they could only get two players who never played a live inning at Yankee Stadium. For shame.

Again, there might be trades that I haven’t included. You might also disagree with some of these selections. But the Yankees definitely dealt far too many young pitchers in the 80s. Some of them came back to bite big time. Some of them went onto be solid contributors when the Yankees needed just that. Seeing this list makes me appreciate how the Yankees are currently treating their pitching prospects. They’re not going to trade them away in just any deal, and especially in just any deal for veterans. After their previous experiences doing that, I think they’ve learned their lessons.

To compare the kinda sick shit this franchise was pulling in the 80’s with young pitchers to anything they’d do now is incredibly silly.

Guetterman led the team in wins one of those awful years, didn’t he? Those were the days.

Darren

In hindsight, it seems like the only bad trade was Drabek and maybe Tewksbury? At the time it seemed so much worse, probably when you add the Buhner trade.

Robinson Tilapia

It was the complete lack of patience that was just terrible. All the while, .500 pitchers were brought in and expected to turn into Whitey Ford just because they put on the pinstripes. Hey look, there’s Tim Leary! Andy Hawkins? Sign us up!

Any of these guys who even pitched to average numbers could have helped in between ’88 and ’93, while the guys they were traded for were out of baseball.

steve s

Don’t forget the Willie McGee and Fred McGriff give aways.

JonS

I think I remember watching Rijo in Columbus. I was 6 at the time. But it was hyped a lot on the news. I think Bucky Dent was on that team too. That year was my introduction into baseball and how I became fascinated with it. (Also how I became a Yankee fan living in Columbus.lol)

Incidentally, I don’t think I saw Rijo pitch again until he blew game 7 in Miami. haha

viridiana

Rijo amd Drabek wound up as two of the better pitchers in the NL, aces of the Cincy and Pitt staffs, who were then two of the better NL clubs.

This is a fine piece and I think it shows why Yankees fans with long memories are sometimes at odds with younger fans on the value of young home-grown players.

BTW, it wasn’t just young pitchers the Yanks traded off for inadequate “proven veteran” returns. Young hitters were frittered away too. Add Willie McGee (traded for non-entity Bob Sykes) and Fred McGriff to Buhner. Pretty good middle of the line-up there to go with rotation of Rijo, Drabek, DeShaes and Tewks.

bg90027

It was a different era back before salaries exploded and cheap, young, cost-controlled talent became much more valuable. I don’t really think that you can fault the Yankees too much for trading marginal prospects like Jim DeShaies or Andy McGaffigan for more proven performers when they were trying to compete for the playoffs year in and year out. With the benefit of hindsight, the Rhoden/Drabek and Barfield/Leiter trades were mistakes. I was old enough to live through those trades and thought both were at least defensible at the time. The Willie McGee for Bob Sykes trade is the real headscratcher.

Kevin

2003 – Brandon Clausen for Aaron Boone. Worked out.

Garcia

Knowing what McGriff became, that trade has always sort of irked me. Yet I wonder what would have happened had they held onto him. Mattingly comes up as a corner outfielder? Traded? Pre-free agency, McGriff and Mattingly had similar production, with Mattingly having a slight edge on defense. In hindsight, even though his prime ended prematurely, I’ll take Donnie Baseball from ’85-’90 over McGriff from ’85-’90 anyday.

RetroRob

I’ll take both.

The Yankees could have fit both Donnie Baseball and the Crime Dog on the same teams. McGriff might have DH’d a lot at the start, or perhaps Mattingly would have played more OF, a position he played in the minors and at first in the majors, and played it fine. McGriff would have hit 500+ HRs if he stayed with the Yankees.

The dealing of McGriff was very shortsighted. Some may try and defend it saying that the Yankees had already identified Mattingly as their future first baseman, or that McGriff was so early in his career that the Yankees didn’t know what they had, yet both statements are incorrect. The Yankees really weren’t sure where they were going to play Mattingly at the point of that deal, which is why he first came up playing the OF. He also wasn’t yet driving the ball for power, and had only a few ABs in the Majors when McGriff was dealt, so they certainly weren’t committed to Mattingly as their long-term answer at first.

As for McGriff, he was an 18-year-old lefty with the body of Adonis, who was already showing very good power at a young age, something that should have caught the Yankees attention, especially with the short porch in right. He also had a very good eye. His 870 OPS should have caused them to stop and think, “let’s see what we got here.” Even if he never made it to play for the Yankees, they could have dealt him for something much more significant in a few years.

Mattingly and McGriff should have been teammates, and his plaque should be out in Monument Park, and one getting ready for the HOF as he would have made 500+ HRs. As Yankee fans, we should be instead talking about how lucky we are the Yankees never made that stupid McGriff for Murray trade, just as we do now talking about the deals for Rivera and Pettitte and Posada that never happened early on.

MattG

Not so much young pitchers, just young players.

I was in a weird spot in 83-86. I was 14-17 years old, and living in Flushing. I was always a Yankees’ fan, but suddenly I was able to ride my bike (at first) and then drive to Shea. Tickets were cheap and the Mets were good.

That all changed for good when I moved into Manhattan in ’87, and got my first season ticket plan to YS. But for a while there, I was a fan of both teams, and as such, it was pretty easy to wish the Yankees would hold onto their young players, much like the Mets were doing.

Mr.Jigginz

Fact:My first baseball glove was a Roy Smalley signature one.

RetroRob

One that always is forgotten is they traded away Tim Burke for something named Pat Rooney. Burke became an all-star reliever with Montreal, first as an excellent long man and then a closer.

Burke could have served that role with the Yankees, freeing Righetti to remain in the rotation.

http://www.riveraveblues.com Joe Pawlikowski

Yanks later traded FOR Burke. This happened a lot in the 80s. There will be a post on that tomorrow.

mike

Joe Neikro was acquired at the time ( as i remember ) as a favor/impetus to keep Phil Neikro around as he was still relatively effective and a soon to be free agent – and Phil blew a gasket when Joe was traded away

Gozer the Gozerian

At least they got rid of Ron “the Vulture” Davis. Would love to figure out how many wins he took away from Yankee starters…
14 wins as a middle reliever/set up guy in 79 ( which wasn’t a great year and got worse once Thurman died.

Andy K

While I agree the Yanks were mismanaged in the 80’s non of these trades gave away an ace or came back to haunt them. In fact with all the talk about Steinbrenner and his win now mentality who did he ever give away from the farm system that turned out to be a genuine star?

brent

WHAtttt!!!! Jose Rijo was a straight up no doubt ACE. I don’t know how old you are but Rijo ended up getting hurt relatively early in his career but EVERYONE knew Rijo was an ace in making. Hell he was the centerpiece of a trade for Rickey Freaking Henderson. Rijo was utterly dominant and the kind of ace who could win you playoff series. He was untouchable for a period with the Reds.

Now Drabek won a Cy Young though you can argue he was never the pitcher Rijo was in his prime. But Rijo and Drabek atop the Ynakees rotation from 87-92 would have absolutely been the difference between putridness and possible playoff series.

I can’t believe you would say that. RIjo was a A#1 grade ace pitcher STAR and Drabek was a Cy YOung winning workhorse STAR.

In fact if Rijo and Davis don’t succumb to really unfortunate bad injuries those early 1990s Reds teams probably have the makings of a dynasty.

Crazy. Rijo, Drabek, Buhner, Willie Wilson, and Fred McGriff weren’t stars???!! You got two aces, a Cy YOUng award, a borderline HOFer and a guy who was one of the best leadoff hitters in the game and a batting champion in there not to mention a big ol bag of all star games.

To put in context RIght now Jose Rijo and Doug Drabek would be the yankees second and third best prospects. ANd trading either of them for what they got would cause multiple heads to explode on RAB.

http://RiverAve.Blues Andy

Brent,
Rijo, Drabek and Buhner were not in the farm system when they were traded. Rijo and Drabek each had a few good years and I’ll grant you Drabek had one great Cy Young year, but overall they were both just decent pitchers having more bad years than good ones and I don’t think any Yankee fan thinks they gave away guys that came back to haunt them. Buhner was an OK player with a bad average and would strike out at least once every game. McGriff was a great player but the Yanks traded him from their farm system to another farm system and he didn’t get to the Bigs for 4 or 5 years if I remember correctly.
What does Willie Wilson have to do with the Yankees trading a guy in their farm system?